Monarchianism is a Christian theology that emphasizes

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

as one indivisible being,Encyclopædia Britannica: ''Monarchianism''
/ref>
at Catholic Encyclopedia, newadvent.org in direct contrast to Trinitarianism, which defines the Godhead as three coeternal, consubstantial, co-immanent, and equally divine hypostases.

History

During the

patristic period Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

, Christian theologians attempted to clarify the relationship between the

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fath ...

Son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some curren ...

and Holy Spirit. Monarchianism developed in the 2nd century and persisted further into the 3rd century.Encyclopædia Britannica: ''Monarchianism''
/ref> ''Monarchianism'' (from the Greek ''monarkhia'', meaning "ruling of one," and ''-ismos'', meaning "practice or teaching") stresses the absolute, uncompromising unity of God in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity, which is often lambasted as veiled

tritheism Tritheism (from Greek τριθεΐα, "three divinity") is a nontrinitarian Christian heresy in which the unity of the Trinity and thus monotheism are denied. It represents more a "possible deviation" than any actual school of thought positing thre ...

by nontrinitarian Christians and other monotheists. Monarchians were opposed by

Logos ''Logos'' (, ; grc, λόγος, lógos, lit=word, discourse, or reason) is a term used in Western philosophy, psychology and rhetoric and refers to the appeal to reason that relies on logic or reason, inductive and deductive reasoning. Arist ...

theologians (

Tertullian Tertullian (; la, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; 155 AD – 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of La ...

, Hippolytus,

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria ( grc , Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; – ), was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen an ...

, and Origen of Alexandria). The Trinitarian view gained prominence and was adopted at the First Council of Constantinople in 381. Monarchianism was considered a heresy after the 4th century.

Types

Two types of monarchianism were propounded.

Modalistic monarchianism Modalistic Monarchianism, also known as Modalism or Oneness Christology, is a Christian theology upholding the oneness of God as well as the divinity of Jesus; as a form of Monarchianism, it stands in contrast with Trinitarianism. Modalistic Monar ...

(or Modalism) considers God to be one while appearing and working through the different "modes" of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Following this view, all the Godhead is understood to dwell in the person of Jesus from the incarnation. The terms "Father" and "Son" are then used to describe the distinction between the ''transcendence'' of God and the incarnation. Lastly, since God is understood as a Spirit in the context of the Gospel of John, it is held that the Holy Spirit should not be understood as a separate entity but rather as a mere descriptor of God's action. Notable adherents included

Noetus Noetus, a presbyter of the church of Asia Minor about AD 230, was a native of Smyrna, where (or perhaps in Ephesus) he became a prominent representative of the particular type of Christology now called modalistic monarchianism or patripassianism.A ...

Praxeas Praxeas was a Monarchian from Asia Minor who lived in the end of the 2nd century/beginning of the 3rd century. He believed in the unity of the Godhead and vehemently disagreed with any attempt at division of the personalities or personages of th ...

, and

Sabellius Sabellius (fl. ca. 215) was a third-century priest and theologian who most likely taught in Rome, but may have been a North African from Libya. Basil and others call him a Libyan from Pentapolis, but this seems to rest on the fact that Pentapolis ...

, hence why the view is commonly called Sabellianism. Nevertheless, Sabellius's writings did not survive, so the little known about his beliefs is from secondary sources.

Adoptionism Adoptionism, also called dynamic monarchianism, is an early Christian nontrinitarian theological doctrine, which holds that Jesus was adopted as the Son of God at his baptism, his resurrection, or his ascension. How common adoptionist views w ...

(or ''dynamic monarchianism'') holds that God is one being, above all else, wholly indivisible, and of one nature. It holds that the Son was not co-eternal with the Father, and that Jesus Christ was essentially granted godhood (adopted) for the plans of God and for his own perfect life and works. Different variations of Dynamism hold that Jesus was "adopted" either at the time of his

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

or his ascension. Notable adherents included Theodotus of Byzantium and

Paul of Samosata Paul of Samosata ( grc-gre, Παῦλος ὁ Σαμοσατεύς, lived from 200 to 275 AD) was Bishop of Antioch from 260 to 268 and the originator of the Paulianist heresy named after him. He was a believer in monarchianism, a nontrinitarian ...

, a

bishop of Antioch Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...

. The name "Monarchian" properly does not strictly apply to the Adoptionists, or Dynamists, as they (the latter) "did not start from the monarchy of God, and their doctrine is strictly Christological".Catholic Encyclopedia - Monarchians

References

Sources

External links

* {{Heresies condemned by the Catholic Church Nontrinitarianism Christian terminology Heresy in ancient Christianity Nature of Jesus Christ

History

Types

See also

References

Sources

External links